Nature & Environment
Killer Whales, Terror Whales: Orcas Feast On A Shark In Viral Video
Brooke James
First Posted: Dec 19, 2016 03:07 AM EST
While aboard the SeaWolfe II with whale tour company Monterey Bay Whale Watch, drone pilot Slater Moore was lucky enough to capture a rare sight: two adults, female killer whales tearing a shark into pieces in Monterey Bay, California.
Of course, it is expected that like any other animal, killer whales as well eat animals below them on the food chain. However, as The Verge pointed out, it is rare to catch them actually do something as humans might on Instagram. The Morning Ticker explained that this is because they are prone to eat fish and squid, which means they are usually underwater when taking their meals.
Slater Moore's group spotted the whales, and they could tell that the creatures were feasting -- but it was difficult to see what was on the menu. Katlyn Taylor, a marine biologist on board with the company shared what they saw: one of the whales bringing up their latest kill -- and it was a whole shark that was still alive, squirming around in vain to avoid the clutches of death.
The shark that the killer whales were feasting on was likely a sevengill shark, which can grow up to 10 feet long, although it seemed that what the orcas had was a smaller one, around 5 feet, that was still bigger than the calves were.
Orcas are actually very difficult to study. They may be distributed widely around the globe and are found in all parts of the ocean. But they can hold their breath for a long time, and they can swim very fast, not to mention the fact that they travel offshore.
While they are considered to belong to one species, genetic studies recently revealed that there are actually multiple species or subspecies of these killer whales worldwide. These animals, despite their cold-blooded killer names and reputation, are known to be highly social and are usually seen in relatively stable social groups consisting of 2 to 15 whales, which is also why more than one of them were able to feast on the poor shark.
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First Posted: Dec 19, 2016 03:07 AM EST
While aboard the SeaWolfe II with whale tour company Monterey Bay Whale Watch, drone pilot Slater Moore was lucky enough to capture a rare sight: two adults, female killer whales tearing a shark into pieces in Monterey Bay, California.
Of course, it is expected that like any other animal, killer whales as well eat animals below them on the food chain. However, as The Verge pointed out, it is rare to catch them actually do something as humans might on Instagram. The Morning Ticker explained that this is because they are prone to eat fish and squid, which means they are usually underwater when taking their meals.
Slater Moore's group spotted the whales, and they could tell that the creatures were feasting -- but it was difficult to see what was on the menu. Katlyn Taylor, a marine biologist on board with the company shared what they saw: one of the whales bringing up their latest kill -- and it was a whole shark that was still alive, squirming around in vain to avoid the clutches of death.
The shark that the killer whales were feasting on was likely a sevengill shark, which can grow up to 10 feet long, although it seemed that what the orcas had was a smaller one, around 5 feet, that was still bigger than the calves were.
Orcas are actually very difficult to study. They may be distributed widely around the globe and are found in all parts of the ocean. But they can hold their breath for a long time, and they can swim very fast, not to mention the fact that they travel offshore.
While they are considered to belong to one species, genetic studies recently revealed that there are actually multiple species or subspecies of these killer whales worldwide. These animals, despite their cold-blooded killer names and reputation, are known to be highly social and are usually seen in relatively stable social groups consisting of 2 to 15 whales, which is also why more than one of them were able to feast on the poor shark.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone